Existing Approaches Towards Explaining and Understanding CAP Reforms

This chapter presents the existing approaches towards explaining and understanding CAP reforms. Firstly, rational and public choice theories based explanations of CAP as an agricultural supports policy are elaborated. Secondly, it is argued that explanation of the international dimension of CAP has been developed within Liberal intergovernmental theory. Thirdly, changes in policy contexts explaining CAP reforms (changes in external trade, budgetary costs and the policy paradigm) and changes in institutions engaged in representation and decision-making (changes in the policy network, path dependency, changes in decision-making procedures and agency quality) are identified. Finally, ideational approaches reflecting on CAP reform from the perspective of the changing ideas of things are identified: liberal constructivism and critical discourse analysis.